Undated -- Today in History
Today is Sunday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2012. There are 330 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Feb. 5, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of US Supreme Court justices; critics accused Roosevelt of attempting to "pack" the nation's highest court. (The proposal failed in Congress.)
On this date:
In 1631, the co-founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, and his wife, Mary, arrived in Boston from England.
In 1762, an estimated 30,000 Sikhs were slain by Muslims in Punjab in present-day India.
In 1783, Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.
In 1811, George, the Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent due to the mental illness of his father, Britain's King George III.
In 1887, Verdi's opera "Otello" premiered at La Scala.
In 1917, Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, an immigration act severely curtailing the influx of Asians. Mexico's constitution was adopted.
In 1922, the first edition of Reader's Digest was published.
In 1940, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "Tuxedo Junction" for RCA Victor's Bluebird label.
In 1958, Gamal Abdel Nasser was formally nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic (a union of Syria and Egypt).
In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the surface of the moon in the first of two lunar excursions.
In 1982, Laker Airways, founded by Sir Freddie Laker, collapsed in bankruptcy.
In 1989, the Soviet Union announced that all but a small rear-guard contingent of its troops had left Afghanistan.
Ten years ago: A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., indicted John Walker Lindh on 10 charges, alleging he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and then conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans. (Lindh later pleaded guilty to lesser offenses and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.) Congressional committees decided to subpoena former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay to appear to tell what he knew of Enron's complex financial dealings. (Lay did appear, but refused to testify, citing his Fifth Amendment rights.) At a Senate hearing, Deborah Perrotta, a laid-off Enron employee, wept as she described how her retirement savings all but disappeared when the company failed.
Five years ago: President George W. Bush unveiled a $2.9 trillion budget which proposed a big spending increase for the Pentagon while pinching domestic programs. NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Fla., accused of trying to kidnap a perceived rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot. (Nowak was sentenced in 2009 to a year of probation in the altercation after pleading guilty to burglary charges; she was drummed out of the astronaut corps as well as the US Navy.)
One year ago: The leadership of Egypt's ruling party stepped down as the military figures spearheading the transition tried to placate protesters without giving them the one resignation they were demanding, that of President Hosni Mubarak. Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders led a class of seven voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; joining them were Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Les Richter and Chris Hanburger. J. Paul Getty III, the troubled grandson of the billionaire oil magnate, died outside London at age 54.
Associated Press